Police watchdog drops case against officer who shot Chris Kaba
The police watchdog has dropped disciplinary proceedings against the officer who fatally shot Chris Kaba in London.
The Full Story
A plain summary built from the channels that reported this story.
The police watchdog has dropped disciplinary proceedings against the firearms officer who fatally shot Chris Kaba in south London in 2022. The officer, named as Martyn Blake, was acquitted of murder by a jury last year. The Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) had paused its misconduct case in January while waiting for a change in the law around the use of force in police misconduct cases.
Metropolitan Police Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley welcomed the decision, saying it ends almost four years of uncertainty for the officer. But campaigners for Chris Kaba's family said the move sends a dangerous message about police accountability.
Chris Kaba, 24, was shot dead in Streatham after officers stopped the Audi he was driving. The IOPC said at the time that Mr Kaba had rammed police vehicles in an attempt to escape. The officer, known as NX121 during the criminal trial, was cleared of murder in October 2024 after a jury deliberated for about three hours.
The disciplinary case was paused in January 2025 because of a legal challenge over how police misconduct cases involving firearms are handled. The IOPC has now decided not to proceed with the misconduct hearing, citing the change in the law that made it harder to discipline officers for using force.
Temi Mwale, from the Justice for Chris Kaba campaign, said the decision was a blow to public confidence. She argued that the Met had defended the officer from the start and that the delay was designed to protect him. She also noted that the law had been changed to make it more difficult for police to be held professionally accountable.
Sir Mark Rowley said the process had taken too long and that the officer had faced an extraordinary ordeal. He said the decision brought closure for the officer and his family, who had lived under the threat of violence, including a reported bounty on his head.
The case has been highly contentious, with some commentators and politicians portraying Mr Kaba as a victim of systemic racism, while others pointed to his criminal record and gang links. The IOPC's decision is final, but the family has said it will consider its options.
On screen
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Key Claims
Claims reported during this story's coverage, mapped by channel. Ordered by how many channels carried each claim.
| Claim | GB News | Sky News |
|---|---|---|
| Officer Martyn Blake shot Chris Kaba in 2022 after Kaba used his car to ram police. | ||
| The Metropolitan Police Commissioner welcomed the end of the process and criticised its duration. | ||
| The police watchdog dropped disciplinary proceedings against the officer who shot Chris Kaba. | ||
| A bounty of 10,000 pounds was placed on the officer's head by gangs. | · | |
| Chris Kaba had a criminal record including convictions for firearms, knives, and violence, and was a known gang member. | · | |
| David Taylor had a violent criminal past including armed robbery and kidnapping. | · | |
| Taylor stabbed a police officer in prison and later murdered a child killer named Kyle Bevan. | · |
Channel Perspectives
What each channel focused on, with key quotes.
Sky News focused on the reaction from the Justice for Chris Kaba campaign, giving a platform to Temi Mwale to criticise the IOPC decision and the Metropolitan Police. The tone was balanced but gave significant weight to the campaigner's view that the system protects officers and undermines accountability. The segment also highlighted the delay and the change in the law as key issues.
- “Well, of course, the Met police have defended Martyn Blake from the very beginning. They didn't believe he should face any criminal consequence or any professional scrutiny, and I think it just demonstrates what kind of policing they want to uphold in this country.”
- “That's not correct. He hasn't faced the disciplinary case. Today's decision is that they are dropping the case.”
- “I think this will really damage public confidence in a police watchdog that time and time again has shown unwilling to actually deliver meaningful accountability for police in this country.”
GB News took a strongly opinionated stance, celebrating the officer's clearance and criticising the media, politicians, and activists who had portrayed Chris Kaba as a victim. The segment emphasised Kaba's criminal past and gang affiliations, and framed the IOPC decision as long overdue. The tone was confrontational and dismissive of the campaign for justice.
- “Today's decision by the IPC that after four years NX121 will not be facing any misconduct hearing is welcome but this has taken far far too long.”
- “But of course the truth was far far grubbier. Chris Kaba turned out to be one of the most feared lieutenants in one of London's most feared gangs, a known convict with a criminal record stretching back to age 13.”
- “It took a jury just three hours to acquit the firearms officer who shot Kaba dead.”
Broadcast Timeline
News broadcasts tracked for this story, in time order.